


death cannot stop true love (all it can do is delay it for a while)

by sterrenkijker



Category: iZombie (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 16:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20294464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterrenkijker/pseuds/sterrenkijker
Summary: There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Now, mostly dead is slightly alive.Ravi goes home after getting beat up by Enzo Lambert on live television, still under the impression that Peyton is dead.





	death cannot stop true love (all it can do is delay it for a while)

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, those are both The Princess Bride quotes. I thought it would be fun. Anyway, for the Tumblr anon who encouraged me to write this: I hope you like it!

‘Shit, I have seventeen missed calls from Liv.’  
Major looked at his cracked phone screen as he and Ravi made their way down the hall.  
‘At least we know she’s not dead,’ Ravi muttered under his breath. He glanced over his shoulder, but no-one was coming after them. ‘Call her back, see where she is.’  
‘It goes straight to voicemail…’ Major frowned. ‘Great. I also have missed calls from home. I take it she hasn’t watched the news lately.’ He continued walking towards the exit, still limping a little, and came to a halt. ‘Change of plans. I’ll go find the kids and make sure they're safe, you - what’s wrong?’  
Ravi had taken out his phone as well. It had been buzzing this whole time but he'd been too occupied by other things - saving his friend, getting beat up, letting the world know that there was finally a cure - that he hadn’t noticed.  
Five missed calls from Peyton.  
‘What’s wrong?’  
Major had repeated his question but his voice seemed to come from very far away. He slowly shook his head.  
‘Nothing, I - I think Liv has found Peyton’s phone.’  
It was getting hard to say her name. He'd barely gotten any time to process that she was gone, she wasn't coming back - and the bastard that killed her was still walking around.  
‘You should go home.’ Major had seen the notifications on Ravi’s screen and his voice was a little softer all of a sudden. ‘We’ll meet you there. Call me if you run into Liv.’  
Ravi nodded. He felt numb, and not just because he’d just been beaten up. Even though it didn’t feel right to split up again, he trusted Major's judgement. ‘Alright, just - be safe.’  
Major grinned and patted his arm. ‘You know me! I know better than to get into trouble.’

It was a miracle Ravi didn’t get shot on his way back. He couldn’t get the image of Peyton out of his mind’s eye.  
_She wasn’t moving._  
If Blaine was still alive after this, he was going to do everything in his power to finish him off. He wouldn’t even shoot him - he’d just strangle him with his bare hands if he got the chance before putting a bullet in his head.  
Or maybe not even that. Maybe he could get them to lock him up and just not give him a cure, so he could watch him rot.  
Maybe the bitter satisfaction of that would ease the pain that was already starting to eat away at him from the inside out.  
Liv must have found her body if she had her phone. The thought of it made his stomach turn, but it was the only explanation.  
His phone went off again.  
He was only a few blocks away from his house but instead of continuing on his way he stepped into an alley to avoid being easily spotted.  
It was from Peyton. Again. He winced involuntarily - couldn’t Liv just call him from her own phone? Even in a situation like this, _especially_ in a situation like this, she should be able to understand how that would look, wouldn’t she?  
For just a second, an even worse scenario flashed through his mind. What if Blaine had gotten a hold of her phone instead?  
He didn’t have time to think. He pressed a slightly trembling finger to the green button on his screen and held the phone up to his ear.  
‘Hey.’  
He expected to hear Liv on the other end, even braced himself for Blaine’s sneering voice.  
He didn’t get either.  
‘Finally, I thought you’d never pick up. Where are you?’  
Ravi felt like he was going to throw up.  
This wasn’t right. It hadn’t even been four hours since he’d heard she was dead. This couldn’t be her, it just couldn’t -  
‘Ravi? Are you still there?’  
He pressed his back against the brick wall and closed his eyes, trying to let the feeling of nausea pass. ‘Yeah, I - I’m -’  
There was a short pause on the other end. ‘I’m not dead. Blaine scratched me.’  
It was her voice. He would know. He’d spent hours just listening to her: at the dining table, in simple conversation, when she was on TV, in bed after she’d placed her head on his chest.  
‘Ravi.’ Hearing Peyton say his name made him snap back into reality. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Where are you? Should I come get you?’  
‘No, no, stay where you are.’ He’d regained his sense of balance and managed to stay on his feet when he straightened himself. ‘I’ll come to you. Where -’  
‘At home. Liv went out to look for you when you weren’t here.’  
He barely processed what she was saying. The only thing that mattered was that she was home, safe and well, and most importantly - _alive_.  
‘Don’t go anywhere.’  
Normally she would’ve let him hear it for ordering her to do anything, but this time she just said, ‘I won’t. Be safe.’  
She hung up.  
Ravi let another trembling breath escape from his lips as he put his phone back into his pocket. He checked around the corner to see if the coast was clear and almost ran the last few blocks. This part of town was almost worryingly quiet and he didn’t want to think about where everyone had gone.  
He almost dropped his keys trying to open the front door. His hands were shaking so badly that he could barely get the door open and when he finally managed, he closed it with a little too much force.  
‘Ravi?’  
She said his name before he could see her. A moment later, Peyton stepped out of the living room into the hallway.  
She looked different. There were already streaks of white in her hair and her skin was a few shades paler than it used to be. But it was her.  
And just the sight of her was enough to bring him to tears.  
He could see her face fall a little as she walked over to him. ‘Hey… what happened?’  
Ravi took a deep breath. ‘I… I thought you were dead.’  
Peyton stopped right in front of him. She raised her hand up to his face and brushed away a couple of tears with her thumb. Her touch sent a chill down his spine when she accidentally touched a bruise.  
‘I’m here now, aren’t I?’ she said softly. ‘And I got more good news: Liv pushed Blaine and Don E into a well. Okay, technically, Don E pushed Blaine and then Liv pushed him, but -’  
She didn’t get to finish. Ravi had taken her face into his hands and kissed her. It startled her for just a moment, before she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him.  
Peyton smiled when their lips parted. She wiped his cheeks dry and looked up at him.  
‘Feeling better?’ she asked. He managed a smile.  
‘A little.’  
He brushed her hair back and gently kissed her forehead, one arm now draped around her waist.  
They stood in silence for a few minutes, their arms around each other, her head against his shoulder.  
‘I would’ve killed him, you know,’ Ravi muttered after a while. ‘Blaine. I wasn’t just going to let him walk around while -’  
He couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence, but he didn’t need to. Peyton patted his arm, carefully disentangled herself from his embrace and said, ‘Of course you would’ve, babe.’  
She looked up, noticed his rather indignant expression and raised her eyebrows. ‘What? I would’ve expected nothing less of you! If I ever get murdered again, you better avenge me.’  
There was a short pause.  
‘Too soon?’  
‘A little, yeah.’  
Peyton smiled faintly. ‘You know I’m proud of you, right? No matter how everything else turns out.’  
‘I do, but it’s good to have some confirmation from time to time,’ he answered. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss her again.  
When she pulled back, she placed her forehead against his, her arms around his neck.  
‘You know I’m gonna have to marry you, right?’ she muttered. ‘If we both come out the other end.’  
‘Oh, I know.’  
‘Good.’ She kissed his nose before letting go of him completely. ‘Let’s go save the world first.’


End file.
